Man arrested has $50,000 in duffle bag

Charged for money laundering, third-degree felony

Updated: Tuesday, 31 Aug 2010, 11:48 AM MDT
Published : Tuesday, 31 Aug 2010, 6:54 AM MDT

Pamela Cosel

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin police stopped a man for a traffic violation on Thursday, and when he did not produce a driver's license nor proof that he owned the vehicle, events led officers to find a duffle bag with more than $50,000 in it.

Christopher Emanu Carbujal, 22, was driving a Ford Taurus that police later found was being rented for $100 a day from a woman in Dallas who never expected the car to leave the Dallas area.

During the traffic stop, the officer smelled marijuana, and police conducted a narcotics search with a trained police dog. That's when cash was found in the car's trunk, in a shoe box inside a duffle bag. Police found no luggage nor changes of clothing.

According to the affidavit, Carbujal told police the money was an inheritance from his deceased father's estate. He said he was an unemployed brick layer and that he bought the car but hadn't had the title transferred yet since he had no driver's license.

When police asked Carbujal to produce a paper trail on the inheritance and the purchase of the vehicle, he could not, according to the report. He allegedly told police he kept his money out of banks and in his backyard, since he did not handle money well nor trusted banks.

He told police there was $75,000 in the bag, when police found only $50,125. He also told police he was en route to Mexico to invest the cash with his aunt in Michoacan, who owned a grocery store.

Once jailed, he allegedly told police he dealt in small amounts of hydromarijuana.

The affidavit states police believe due to the amount of cash and the way Carbujal was using a car that belonged to someone else, along with his statements and the circumstances, that he is likely a courier for drugs and/or drug money into Mexico.

Based on probable cause, Carbujal was charged with money laundering, a third-degree felony. Bond was set at $50,000.